Editorial Review

The ProMedia 2.1 THX-Certified, three-piece computer audio system from Klipsch transforms your desktop into a high-performance audio entertainment center. Two 35-watt satellite speakers deliver full-bodied stereo sound, while a floor-thumping 130-watt subwoofer provides low-end slam from your favorite music, games, and movies, reaching down to an impressive 31 Hz.

The satellites' exclusive Klipsch MicroTractrix horn maximizes clarity and high-frequency dispersion from CDs, MP3s, streaming radio programs, and other audio. The high-output, digital-hybrid-amplifier-driven ProMedia 2.1 offers a convenient headphone jack and dual stereo analog inputs, one for a more or less hard-wired connection from your computer's line or headphone output jack, the second to accommodate a portable audio device such as an MP3 or minidisc player/recorder.

Klipsch operates with a philosophy that demands accuracy in every aspect of sound reproduction, which--in the case of the ProMedia 2.1--has resulted in THX Certification. THX is an exclusive set of standards established by the world-renowned film production company, Lucasfilm Ltd., and products undergo rigorous quality and performance tests in order to receive this certification.

What's in the Box
Two satellite speakers, one subwoofer, two 9.5-foot lengths of speaker cable (22 gauge), a user's manual, and warranty information. ... Read more

Features

• THX-certified, three-piece computer audio system
• Exclusive Klipsch MicroTractrix Horn maximizes digital technologies such as CDs, MP3 downloads, and streaming radio programs
• 200-watt digital hybrid amplifier driven ProMedia 2.1 incorporates a convenient headphone jack as well as a miniplug input
• Compatible with gaming consoles and most portable audio devices
• 31 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response range

Reviews (115)

Amazing sound quality
I have had many different sets of Computer Speakers for many different computers. I am using these with my laptop, when I am at home. I am a serious audiophile, who like just about every kind of music you can imagine... needless to say I wanted a set of speakers that would sound great, not kill my pocketbook and be reasonable when it comes to space management. All I can say is that having never bought Klipsch before I didnt know what to expect, I had heard good things but I wasn't sure. If you are feeling like me, trust me they are AMAZING.

Right out of the box it took me less that 5 minutes to set them up get them plugged in and ready to go. I started out listening to some Alternatve (Smashing Pumpkins) and thought WOW these sound really good. I threw in some Rap and Hip Hop and I was even more blown away. I threw some Trance and just sad staring at my screen. For two satellite speakers and a sub, I was blown away with how clear the sound was, how loud it could get, and the fact that there was no distortion at higher volumes, while retaining the ability to distinguish different instruments/sounds.

After reading another review, I would agree that this system is not for those with very thin walls (at least if you want to be considerate). While you can play music at lower volumes and the quality is just as good as it will be at the higher volumes, the bass does tend to travel.

Pros: Price (compared to the Bose system that runs $250, or other systems that run between $200-$500 this system is as good for less money. Headphone and Audio input on Left speaker great, dont have to swap out the speakers to throw on headphones and the abilty to use on MP3 players is great. THX Certification... really speaks for itself, these speakers are top quality and are endorsed by one of the most stringent testers out there.

Cons: No remote or controller. (Its not that bad because there are the controls for the Sub and Main speakers on one of the satellites (for me thats the left).Power off on the sub, mentioned before not that bad but its a little bit of a nuisance.

Overall, I would say that this is a great value and I highly recommend this speaker system to anyone who loves music and looks for high quality sound.

Cheers

Almost Audiophile
I was able to pack away my stereo system after hooking up this set.The music is accurate.For example, I was able to clearly distinguish the bass drum from the stand up bass without any trouble (The CD I used was Apostolic Polyphony).That is pretty rare for a bass reflex system.Prepare to be surprised.

Satellite DOA
Sounds like this system might have been alright, but it's hard to tell a good stereo when you only hear out of one of the channels. The other satellite speaker is completely dead, right out of the box. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Bugs    4. Computer 3 (2.1) speaker system    5. Activity    6. Games   

Editorial Review

Did you know that painted ladies (the butterflies, that is) taste with their feet and have 10,000 eyes? You and your kids will be fascinated by all you learn about these beautiful creatures with the Butterfly Garden from Insect Lore. The kit comes with a relatively easy-to-assemble observation chamber; supplies for feeding the butterflies (you provide only sugar and water); an informative booklet of clear instructions and butterfly facts; and a certificate for three to five free painted lady caterpillars. The metamorphosis from larva to butterfly takes about three weeks from when you receive the caterpillar larvae (which arrive in a small container with all the nutrients they need). Your children can watch the larvae increase dramatically in size, form chrysalides, and finally emerge into full-fledged painted ladies (it's suggested that they release the butterflies after a few days of observation). This would make a wonderfulactivity for families with kids of any age, but younger children will need help assembling the observationchamber and reading the instruction booklet. (Note: The manufacturer recommends that butterflies should not be set free in temperatures lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit.) --Rachel Radway ... Read more

Reviews (65)

DEAD BUGS
I purchased this for my 7 year old daughter for christmas. I was guarenteed 3 live larve.They are all dead and I can not get ahold of the company. I would rate this a big Zero

Butterfly Garden
My sister gave this to my 8 year old daughter for her birthday.I also have a 4 year old daughter.This is one of the best gifts my children have ever received!From the start, both of my children were enthralled with the metamorposis from caterpillar to butterfly.The bonus is that there is very little that is required of parents except to make sure the instructions are followed.The caterpillars come in a plastic container that has all the food they require to grow and change.Even though one of the chrysalides fell off the paper disc under the lid, it still was able to continue metamorphosis at the bottom of the butterfly observatory.We just released our three beautiful painted lady butterflies yesterday after three weeks of wonder and excitement.Luckily my daughter's birthday is in July so we could release our butterflies when the weather is warm and the flowers are in full bloom.I recommend that you keep your butterflies safe in their observation chamber for at least two days.Two butterflies emerged before the third one did and I was afraid they weren't eating the food I provided (sugar water).Not wanting the first two to starve, I had my daughters release all of them less than a day after the third butterfly emerged.That third butterfly didn't seem ready to fly off yet and stayed in the garden on a post unmoving for a long while. I watched it to make sure it was unharmed and breathed a sigh of relief when it finally flew off.I couldn't have asked for a more fun and educational gift!

Excellent
I purchased this for my daughter's 4th birthday. The caterpillars arrived on her birthday, which she loved even more. They are now in chrysalide form and she is so excited because she can see them grow and grow every day. This is an awesome toy and have reccomended it to everyone with and with out kids. I also bought a book called "From Caterpillar to Butterfly" and it describes the metaphorsis excellently to her. 2 thumbs up. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Learning    3. Science    4. Bugs    5. Butterflies   

Editorial Review

This award-winning globe could help children become A+ geographystudents. The Explorer Globe II is jam-packed with hundreds of facts, trivia,and useful scholastic information about every aspect of the geographical world.It electronically verbalizes everything from area population, capitolcity/country, state/province, large bodies of water, currencies, high points,distance, and more. Other remarkable features make the Explorer an even moreuseful reference tool. It has a world clock that, once set from your home area,will tell the time in every other part of the world. And any country can beselected to hear a sample its national music (yes, Tahiti does have a nationalanthem). The globe sits on a sturdy base, which features a dashboard full ofinteractive functions and an attached soft-tipped stylus. This stylus is the keyinstrument: use it to touch virtually any point on the surface of the globe toretrieve information. --Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (68)

Problem Stylus?!!
Got it as a birthday gift for our daughter - great product to teach kids about "the world around" and she adores it.

The product lacks precision and accuracy. At the beginning the problems started with identification of smaller state/country and later ended up in total chaos. Manufacturer suggested replacing the stylus (FYI - Leap Frog identifies this as a generic complaint and will replace 2 styluses free of cost), but the problem continues to exist. Leap Frog once again suggesting the stylus replacement!?

Just wondering if I could get a total replacement and the product remain worry free for a while!

great
this is a great globe bout it for my daughter for her communion she loves it thanks

Not builtto last
My kids who are 11 and 8 got this globe for Christmas.They had it for about two weeks when it suddenly died.I thought maybe it was the batteries so I changed them and it still did not work.They never really got any use out of this.In the brief time that I did work it always acted as if it were "shorting out" or something.This toy is NOT worth the money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    3. Geography    4. Activity   

Reviews (20)

GREAT Butterfly Kit!
I have been rasing butterflies for 5 years and I LOVE this kit! It's so cool to see them chow down on their nutrient and then change into a chrysalis. I have a suggestion:DO NOT move your caterpillars around a lot, they are delicate and when moved too much, it kills them. Keep them in a quiet, warm place and watch and learn! I have chrysalids right now and they are almost ready to hatch! Tip: mist your chrysalids every other day. This increses the chance that they'll emerge healthy!

Wonderful--Raise generations of butterflies!
My son (age 5) got this from his grandparents for Christmas and it has been terrific fun for all of us.The first set of ten caterpillars grew visibly day-by-day, then pupated and emerged as butterflies in a few weeks.There is a lot of great information about painted lady and other butterfly species online and having this project got my son very interested in how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly so soon I found myself showing him multi-colored pictures of imaginal discs (the larval structures that produce the butterfly wing, leg etc. during metamorphosis) online at websites I found--a great way to get him interested in developmental biology.The first time we talked about this he decided they were actually "magical discs", given what these groups of cells can do...the whole process has been very entertaining for the whole family....It is also really fun to have butterflies flitting around and caterpillars growing in the pavilion in the kitchen when it is gray and wintery outside.

How to raise more than one generation of critters inside:
Since we sent our coupon for larvae out immediately after Christmas, we had butterflies dancing around the pavilion and mating in February when there were no plants outside to collect for the next generation of caterpillars to eat.Anticipating this, I ordered a mallow plant and some additional larval food from Carolina Biological Supply Company at about the time when our caterpillars turned into chrysalises:there is an online store and the stuff to get is the L918 culture medium (144040).This will feed about 80 larvae.(Unfortunately the Insect Lore company, which makes the Pavilion, only sells caterpillar food in small quantities along with additional larvae, which we certainly didn't need).

How to do it:We set the mallow plant in the pavilion and the butterflies laid their eggs on the leaves where we could watch them darken and emerge as very tiny 1mm long new caterpillars.After 4-5 days of watching the caterpillars eat the mallow plant (making little tracks on the leaves) we prepared them new homes in caterpillar media.To do this, you can use either the original plastic containers that the first generation larvae are shipped in (clean them out and dish wash them) or use another small clear-sided plastic or glass jar with a lid.Clean the containers well (I wiped the inside with a paper towel with isopropyl alcohol on it after dishwashing to kill bacteria, which will contaminate the food and make the larvae sick).The food will come in two plastic containers (nearly full).One of these can be frozen for subsequent generations.Transfer the contents of one container to a covered microwaveable container and heat on medium in the microwave (swirling every 10-30 seconds to mix and avoid overheating) until it is a solution.Pour media into the bottoms of the larvae containers to a depth of about a quarter inch (this will make 4-5 new containers).If there is a lot of condensation on the sides after the media has hardened, you can wipe this away with a paper towel--I did this, but then again alcohol-wiped the inside solid surfaces and lid above the media.Cover the containers loosely (leave the lid slightly ajar) and put them somewhere to dry.I laid a clean paper towel over the collection of covered jars to keep dust/dirt from drifting in given the activity level of the children here.After a couple days of drying, these were ready for larvae.If necessary (ie., if not using the previously shipped containers) make very, very small air holes in the lid.Then use a toothpick or matchstick to collect each 2-4 mm long larva off of the mallow plant leaves and tap to drop them into the new container.Put a clean paper towel over the top of the container (under the lid) and re-cap the jar--now the paper will serve as a scaffold for new chrysalises to hang from and will allow air in while preventing the tiny caterpillars from escaping.Try to be relatively aseptic about this.

It appears that we're going to get about 20-30 new caterpillars from the first generation, which I should be able to accommodate with the larvae cups made above...hopefully by the time we've run out of this food and been through a couple more generations it will be summer and warm enough to release all of the butterflies we have outside.The pavilion is well made and sturdy enough that it should accommodate many other projects involving insects.All in all, we've been entirely pleased with this--a great gift that's had my son on the phone describing his butterflies' recent development to grandma and grandpa several times!

One more tip:the adult butterflies seem to become upended on the floor of the pavillion at times while they are flapping around and have trouble gaining traction to right themselves on the slick nylon surface.This shortened the lives of several of ours until I saw it happening and put some packing material (like easter straw) in there for them to stand on.

Wonderful for child and parent
My two daughters, ages 5 and 8, each received one of these as a Christmas present.We sent away for the caterpillars and they arrived in one week.I have to admit that even I, as an adult, really enjoyed watching the progress of the caterpillars as they transformed into beautiful butterflies.My only compaint is that we weren't prepared when two of the butterflies became entangled in the webbing surrounding the cocoon.There was nothing in the instructions about what to do so we had to watch the butterflies suffer until they finally died from exhaustion.We told the kids that it was simply part of nature.Other than that, what a great experience! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Bugs   

Reviews (20)

a ten-year-olds point of veiw!!!!!!!
in the reveiws, i saw alot of age ranges, from 2 1/2 to 12!!!!!! This toy is great if you like dinosaurs and my friend is 11 and has this toy too. i like playing with it alot (it is fun for the dinosaurs to attack my Geotrax train set!....witch is also a great toy you can find on amazon) these dinosaurs are great (5 thumbs up to my favorite dinosaur the brachosaurus, who is also the biggest in the set i should add.....) But at first when i was getting this toy i was looking forward to the playmat, but now i dont even play with that or the rocks, volcanos or tree's, dinosaurs are the best part. and i realized that i actually put this toy back! i have a whole lot of toys and most of them are still out this very moment!!!!!!!! and i really like reading there names at the bottom of each dinosaur!!!!!!! Overall, this toy is a big hit (and for you moms out there, my mom tells me that this toy keeps me busy and quiet so she can relax!!!!!) and i totally reccomened it! i hope you enjoyed seeing a childs point of veiw on this toy!!!!!

Hours of fun
I bought this for my three year old son.He loves it.It comes with a plastic play mat and over 10 dinosaurs, plus trees, rocks and two volcanoes. He loves it and it entertains him for hours.But the best part for me is the plastic storage tub.Everything fits easily back in, and it takes up very little space (around the size of a large shoe box).

DINOmite!
If you have a child who loves dinosaurs then this is the toy for him/her! It's perfect size for (not to small where the pieces will get lost and not too big to store) and it comes with it's own storage container (I wish every toy came with it's own storage container). You child will spend hours of creative play with this great toy! I highly recommend it! And you can't beat the price! My 5 yr. old son set this up in his bedroom and he plays for hours up there. He LOVES it! I think I might buy him another set just to add more to his collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pretend Play    2. Animals    3. Dinosaurs    4. Play Sets   

Editorial Review

Future scientists will thrill to the physical world revealed to themunder the magnification of a genuine microscope. A slide containing cells ofhuman skin looks like a magnificent intricate art pattern in rainbow colors. This microscope is the real McCoy. With three objectives--4x, 10x, and 40x--hours of scientific collection and observation await your young biologist.Heavy and heavy duty, this microscope is not for young children and is not atoy. Advertised for those ages 11 and older, it comes with five prepared glassslides. More blank ones could be purchased at a science supply store to createcountless new samples to explore. The model plugs into a three-prong outlet toproduce the light needed for magnification and will probably require adult helpfor initial use. This solid metal scientific tool should pique the curiosity andstretch the imagination and scientific acumen of most preadolescents.--Lair Showalter, mother and elementary school teacher ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Arrived in unusable condition
(...) The microscope is metal which I like however it arrived unusable.I can't comment on the optics because I can't see anything through the lens--very disapointing.Amazon on the other hand is great, they are already sending me a replacement.I hope that this was a fluke and that I will be satisfied with the replacement.

Great for Beginners
All Metal construction, decent objective lenses, integrated light source, fine and coarse focus knobs, a small specimen kit, and a very good price all add up to make this an outstanding purchase for the budding scientist.

This microscope would do well in a high school lab or even as a solid backup in an undemanding college lab.

I bought one for a twelve year girl, and she has no idea how to use it, but she's willing to try, especially since we know it will WORK unlike the plastic garbage being sold in the sub-hundred dollar range.

This is a good buy.

Exceptional beginner microscope
I bought this microscope for my daughter, age 5, to answer her questions relating to how things grow or how people get sick. Explaining bacterial or viral infections and cell mitosis just isn't the same as showing it and giving a point of reference to understand the microscopic world. Now she has that point of reference and her wonder at the microscopic world has just begun.

This microscope came with 5 excellent slides that show plant and animal cells and insect parts.

We looked at salt, rice, sugar, hair, onions cells and root tip cells which further amazed her.

The quality of this microscope is amazing for the price. I used very expensive microscopes in several of my classes (i.e. bacteriology, embryology) and the lenses of this microscope rival the expensive ones. The stage dosn't have a left / right, forward / backward adjusting wheels on it so you have to manually move the slides around. But the price for the quality makes this microscope one of my daughters favorite gifts. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science   

Reviews (22)

Worth your money
In this day when so many toys are junk, Snap Circuits is a welcome exception.This is easier than the "labs" in which you must connect wires.These circuits have simple instructions and are easy to snap into place.There is much to be learned as well as much fun to have.Kids learn about LED's, resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits, etc...... We liked the first kit we got so much that my son spent his own money on the big 750 project kit.Not a day goes by that he doesn't create a really cool circuit.We strongly recommend this toy.

Best way to learn about Electricity without *wires* !
Outstanding game which *grows* with your child -- as you can upgrade the kit. Projects range from simple to complex. Snapping connections is easy for the kids. Just as an example, my child quickly picked up the concepts of "switches" once he assembly the first few projects. Also helps in troubleshooting -- what is the diff bet. a open and closed circuit ?

Only "con" -- wish there was more details about the project and how does it work. Many project are variations of a "base" project. Say -- substitute bulb with the Motor.

As an enhancement it will be very cool to have small LEDs on the connections showing the flow of electricity !!

Overall a must have science kit for children ! You won't waste your money on this one !

Finally a toy that is fun and educational!!!
My husband and I bought this for our 11-year-old daughter for Christmas. When she first unwrapped it she looked uninterested. Then once we got it out and tried it out she was instantly hooked as was her father and I. It truly teaches all about electricity in a way that anyone- even someone as dense about electricity as myself- can understand. She did the first 6 experiments in one sitting. As a homeschool parent, I find this toy truly refreshing. I highly recommend this for anyone....boy, girl, old or young!

... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Chemistry   

Editorial Review

Re-create Mother Nature's beautiful designs on the wings of butterflies with this kit from Balitono. It includes 4-inch wooden butterflies that can be used as refrigerator magnets, hanging sculptures, window decorations, and toy treasures. The kit offers three butterflies, nontoxic acrylic paints in five colors, shiny varnish, and a paintbrush. Each figure also comes with a press-on magnet, hanging accessories, a suction cup (for window use), and a small gift tag. An easy-to-follow instruction sheet includes compelling facts about the nature of butterflies. Colorful illustrations on the box show a wide variety of butterflies young artists might like to paint. A coded diagram inside identifies each species by name. Children may want to give these items as gifts, use them to decorate their rooms, or simply use them in creative play. --Joan DeClaire ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Expensive
I felt this kit was expensive for the small amount of items that came with it. It is cute and beats having my kids sit in front of the television, [...] As a plus I must admit that my children (ages 9 and 7) enjoyed painting the butterflies and turning them into magnets. That is worth a few stars.

classic but fun!
My girls have received other Balitono kits before and theylove them, so I am always on the lookout for more styles.The best ones we had were the horses kit and some other jewelry box kits (not sure the exact names) but the painted things are on our girls' tables.

The butterflies kit is not as elaborate as the others we had but we had as much fun creating them.My 9 year old and 7 year old shared the kit and took the time painting them and making into magnets and ornaments.The butterflies are about 4 inches each, not large but there are 3 of them and i am impressed with the quality of the paints and paintbrush since i used to paint on canvas.on the pamphlet, it said the wooden butterflies are hand-carved and they have the details that are life-like.One improvement i would like to have is to have a glow-in-the-dark paint included.

Busy momof four with limited income
I was pretty disappointed when I open this toy. I have very little money to spend on four wonderful children, and this was to be a Christmas gift, but when I opened it and saw that there were only three littel wooden butterflies, one paint brush and only six primary colors of paint, I really felt like I had wasted my limited resources.

I wish I had taken the time to read ALL of the reviews before purchasing this product. At a lower price, like 3.99 or less, this would have been a great deal, well worth it. But not at $14.99 plus shipping. I will certainly be much more careful when choosing toys online that is for sure.

Fortunately for me, my children are very well-manored and very compassionate. It is the reason for holiday that makes them happy. NOT the quality or quantity of the gifts they get. God bless them all... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arts and Crafts    2. Painting Kits    3. Animals    4. Bugs    5. Butterflies    6. Painting    7. Learning    8. Activity    9. Craft Kits   

Reviews (6)

Engaging science for young minds............
Although some of the questions/answers in this game are not educational, overall, I found this item to be great fun for the whole family. The questions have a range of difficulty, so when we play it with our 7 year old, he can answer some, and we adults don't get bored because we find others interesting. Some items are inappropriate, but we just omit those and ask another question or do another task that appears on the same card.
I would recommend this game to all parents who frequently play with their children, and are looking for something unique and fun for them, as well as the children.

Educational?? Scientific???NOT!!!!!
We bought the "Totally Gross" game for our son for a Christmas gift.When we looked at the game, we thought we were getting an educational game about science.

What we didn't know was that we got a game about rude behaviors.

After looking at the all cards, I was in shock. The number of body functions that are talke about is inappropraite. Also telling kids to stick fingers into their ears and into their mouths can be a health hazard.Telling the kids on the cards not to put their finger into their ear "too far" and to make sure they have "clean hands" before sticking their fingers into their mouths was a nice gesture BUT kids will be kids and do they really know when too far is enough or does it take a trip to the ER for a puncture ear drum!

I thought, surely there can't be that many cards with such offensive material so I started removing the offensive ones. I stopped at about 15 and decided the game is very inappropriate.

I'm not sure how this game has ANYTHING to do with the "major science disciplines", as quote on the box! I do not recommend this game to anyone unless you want your son running around telling everyone he needs to go "drain the lizard" when he needs to pee.

Girls love gross stuff too!!!
I bought this game for my two girls..ages 8 and 6.They absolutely love it...lots of good gross stuff and lots of educational items even the adults thought were great.My husband and I even thought that this game would be great with our adult friends :) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Learning   

Reviews (11)

Best way to learn about Electricity without *wires* !
Outstanding game which *grows* with your child -- as you can upgrade the kit. Projects range from simple to complex. Snapping connections is easy for the kids. Just as an example, my child quickly picked up the concepts of "switches" once he assembly the first few projects. Also helps in troubleshooting -- what is the diff bet. a open and closed circuit ?

Only "con" -- wish there was more details about the project and how does it work. Many project are variations of a "base" project. Say -- substitute bulb with the Motor.

As an enhancement it will be very cool to have small LEDs on the connections showing the flow of electricity !!

Overall a must have science kit for children ! You won't waste your money on this one !

great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This a great Circuit set I loved playing with it and you can even make your own curcuits It is very educational and fun.
I think this a five star product for anybody who likes science or circuit sets, it also not very complicated so a child doesnt even need help because it is so easy and fun.

A fun toy that stimulates thought. . .
I bought a similar kit (Radio Shack's Electronics 202 Snap Kit, same manufacturer though) for my 7 year old daugher who loves puzzles for Christmas.

I never saw her open it and it migrated to the bottom of the pile (she didn't know what it was).I discovered it unopened a few days ago (1 day after Xmas, basically) and told her what it was all about.We started making things (the 1st project is a light with a switch) and she fell in love with it.I had to head off to work.When I came home, she took the kit back out (she had put all the pieces back into their shipping slots so as not to lose anything) and showed me some 'cool projects'.The 202 kit has a motor & a spinning disc that she found to be very neat.

I've taken the time to explain polarity and she's listened.She knows how to check her work before testing her projects.When things don't work right, she's learned some trouble-shooting procedures to identify a potentially open circuit (missing a snap segment?) or a reversed diode.

Last night she built an AM radio that actually worked (though very low volume).

I've started to show her how to substitue parts (lowering the speaker volume on sound projects by placing a higher value resistor in series, etc).

My only regret is that I didn't realize there was a more complete kit (Electronics 303 Snap kit) that can interface to a Computer too. . .

If you have a child that is into building blocks, puzzles, or is inquisitive as to how things work (this basically sums up all children) this is a must. . .

btw:My older daugher (9) and my son (4) will flock to us when we are working on 'cool projects' now.

... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science   

Reviews (1)

Tooting in the Tub
My 6 and 9 year old boys both love this toy. They usually take showers now because they're big boys but the first day we had the flutes they both spent about 2 hours in the tub. The song book pages are laminated so they won't fall apart if they fall in the water. I even heard my husband trying them out, so they were a big hit in the house. I'm going to get the water drums for them for Christmas. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Music    4. Musical Instruments    5. Wacky    6. Activity    7. Preschool    8. Bath Toys   

Reviews (5)

Cannibals!
Our ladybug larvae seemed to prefer to eat each other rather than the food which came with our shipment of ladybugs.It was rather gruesome to watch, so we let the larvae loose outside.The company representative we spoke with had no explanation for the phenomenon, but was willing to ship us another package of ladybugs free of charge.I don't think we can handle watching a repeat of the cannibalism.

My daughter loved it!
I gave this to my 2nd grader for Christmas.It took a while for the larvae to arrive due to "unexpected need" -- how does that happen when the same company sells the land and ships the ladybugs?But once the tube of larvae arrived the land did exactly what it promised.My kids loved watching as the larvae became pupae attached to the dome, then hatched as ladybugs.We kept them in the dome for a couple of weeks (until after the last frost) then released them on our rose bushes.Ten minutes later the kids were begging to order more larvae!

Teacher and Parent
I bought this for my son's third birthday.He's already an avid entomologist.The larvae arrived just as expected already shedding its skin, which each one did multiple times.It was fascinating for my husband and me as well.The three of us found ourselves glued together watching these amazing creatures as the larvae shed it's final skin and entered the pupa stage.Several days after the fully-formed ladybugs emerged (they were yellow at first), we set them free into our back yard.They have a distinct appearance which is slightly different than the ladybugs we're accustomed to seeing around here.Therefore we have been able to easily identify them when we come across them in our yard.

We received about 14 or 15 ladybug larvae and all survived to become ladybugs except for one, which I consider to be pretty impressive.The container was especially effective because my son was not able (or tempted) to manhandle to ladybugs, yet it was easy to keep the water filled with the specially designed lid and water tube.We had an excellent view of all the events taking place inside.I would recommend purchasing books to go along with this.We had four different simple books relying upon excellent photographs and easy-to-understand descriptions.This heightened my son's (and our) anticipation and helped us to better understand what was happening.

I can honestly say that this has been well-worth the price we paid for it.Soon we're going to get a refill kit of ladybug larvae and begin anew. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Bugs   

Reviews (5)

Worked for me, and now for him
I have a 9 year old son. I got this for him last Christmas. I only bought it because I remembered when I had something similar to it a long time ago. I remembered how much I learned from it about electricity, and how it got me into it. The look on my boy after a few hours playing with it was just the same as I had years ago. This toy is very enjoyable and educational at the same time. I have another boy (5years old), and he doesn't know how to play with it, but he has an intrest of the sounds it makes, and some of the projects you can have your voice broadcasted through a weak AM channel. My son took it to school to show and tell, and the teacher asked him if he can bring it again so they can work on some of the projects it has in it. All in all it is FUN 4 ALL ;)

It is awsome to see educational toys such as these.
Educational toys such as these are going to give the kids of today an interest in technology so that they can become the scientists and engineers of tomorrow.

Beep Beep Vaarrrrommmm rat-tat-tat-tat
Those are the noises my nephew, with some help from his father, was making with this kit after just a few minutes.We gave it to him for his 7th birthday and, though a bit young to go it alone at first, he is learning a lot and it is a great activity for him to enjoy with his parents, grandparents, etc.
It's a great toy AND educational tool.
He is at a stage where he wants to really figure out how things work and LOVES the kit and the oportunities for experimenting it offers.
While I was driving home from his birthday party he called my cell phone to let me listen as he talked into it and his voice came out on the radio.
It's a hit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    3. Electronic    4. Activity    5. Science    6. Experiments   

Features

• Hours of hands-on experiments designed by a team of Harvard graduates, scientists, educators, and parents.
• Award-winning winning science kits designed for children between the ages of 5 and 12.
• Each set contains a 8 1/2" x 11" instruction booklet with dual instructions, one for adults and one for young scientists.
• Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products, National Parenting Seal of Approval, Teacher's Choice Award
• National Parenting Publications Honors Award, Learning Research Institute Outstanding Resource Award

Reviews (1)

Young Scientist Kit
Doing science doesn't get any easier than this!As a homeschooling mom I was looking for a way to make science interesting and educational at the same time.This kit does both.It was also a tremendous help to have supplies included in the kit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Chemistry    4. Activity   

Reviews (3)

12" Raised Relief Explorer Globe
It's amazing how much a child learns by having access.We are an American family living in Germany and felt my 5 year old would have a greater understanding of where we live and where our extended family lives.

There should be one in every house!
What a great, inexpensive globe.It's fascinating to watch a child spin a globe - even if they don't seem like they are learning anything, at least they are getting a general idea of the immense size of our world!Since getting this globe, my 5 year old son has learned about the continents and the oceans, found Australia on his own and pointed out that Antarctica is bigger than the USA.It seems that the globe gets loose from it's stand somewhat easily, but it is easily tightened.All in all, a great buy with terrific educational value.

poorly designed stand
The globe itself is ok and has a lot of educational value for kids starting out in geography, but the stand is so poorly designed that when you rotate the globe on its axis, the stand easily detaches from the globe.The whole point is to be able to rotate it, so in effect it's not very usable if you have to keep fixing the stand again and again.A heavier stand that would not move when rotating the globe would probably work better.The attaching mechanism needs redesign too -- right now it's just a screw in the base. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Learning    3. Geography    4. Science   

Reviews (1)

My nephews love these!
I bought these for my nephews and they totally love them!

My sister says they won't go in the bath without them. They tap on the drums and then tap on the tub, wall, and spout to get all kinds of cool sounds and rhythms going. They also use them to dump water on their head to rinse shampoo and as a view scope to see the bottom of the tub through the bubble bath.

Good clean fun. Highly recommended.
... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Music    4. Musical Instruments    5. Wacky    6. Activity    7. Preschool    8. Bath Toys   

Reviews (39)

IT'S AN ANT FARM
What the heck is the Amozon featured reviewer talking about. IT'S AN ANT FARM!We better keep an eye on her students.Anyway, it is a drag that there is no queen.My grandson was pretty disappointed.It is probably better to not order the ants at all, left up a rock in sandy loam and grap as many workers and eggs that you can.Chances are that you will not get a queen but if you get young enough eggs the workers will grow a new one.

Ants exemplify lifeskills!
I had this ant farm as a child and LOVED it. It was very educational and entertaining. The ants created their own little community, along with connecting "highways" (tunnels), a graveyard (they carried the dead ants to one little area of the farm and buried them), and even a food "cellar" (they stored all their extra food in one little area at the bottom of the farm). My ants lived for several months and only died when my mother was cleaning house and tried to move it. The tunnels all collapsed and the ants were killed. I am currently a 4th grade teacher and purchasing this for my classroom. I am going to use it to teach habitats and communitites, but most importantly lifeskills. Ants exemplify so many lifeskills...patience, cooperation, perseverance, endurance, caring, effort, problem solving, etc. WOW!! So much we can learn from one tiny creature.

All ants dead in 2 weeks.
Took like 2 months to get the ants.Two weeks for them to die. We have 2 ants alive.After two weeks. I don't know....We followed the instructions... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Learning    3. Science    4. Bugs    5. Games   

Editorial Review

Dinosaur devotees will be roaring over this radio-controlledTyrannosaurus Rex as he growls and roars, moves his head, thrashes histail, and even blinks his beady yellow eyes. He can also turnrealistically and walk forward a few steps on a hard surface, growlingand roaring at the same time, if you choose. T-Rex is 11 inches tall and21 inches from nose to tail, with textured, flexible brown rubber skinthat bends and moves. The controller is shaped like a stone with twobone-shaped joysticks to control the dinosaur's walking and turning.Buttons on the side of the controller make T-Rex move his head and frontfeet, snap his jaws, roar, and blink his eyes. The controller slidesopen in the middle for use, and you have to be careful not to pinch yourfingers when you snap it shut. T-Rex requires a total of six AAbatteries, two for the controller and four inside the dinosaur, and thebattery compartment inside the T-Rex is rather difficult to access.Despite these small drawbacks, this dino is one cool dude that willthrill any kid in the midst of the inevitable dinosaur phase. -- Marcie Bovetz ... Read more

Reviews (64)

Disappointed on Christmas
The only toy our 5 year old wanted was a t-rex with batteries. How disappointing when we turned it on and nothing happened. We sent "Roarie" back to the "North Pole" aka amazon, for replacement. when the new one arrived, Joy was immediately replaced by tears when the new one stopped functioning after less than 2 minutes! This toy is fragile to say the most.

HORRIBLE TOY!!!
CONSUMER BEWARE!My five-year old son received this for Christmas.It was great while it worked, a whole two days!What a huge upset!I didn't see any educational value to it, except the education of disappointment from a fragile toy. We didn't have any trouble putting batteries in.Although the feel and look of the dinosaur is real and unique, a stuffed animal would have been more educational and less disappointing!I guess it will become a figurine on a shelf!I'm late in writing this review, because I just wouldn't give up hope, until now!

Fantasticasaurus!
This was a Christmas gift for my just about 4yo son who is very much intrigued with dinosaurs, his favorite being T-Rex!I was very impressed, as was he, at it's "realness".Very life like when it gets "ROARING" and stomping around!Great gift for a dino lover..just keep batteries handy. There is a switch on the dinosaur that you must turn "off" and you must close up the hand held remote as well....try explaining that to a 4yo! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Tyrannosaurus Rex    2. Dinosaurs    3. Moving    4. Electronic    5. Preschool    6. Learning    7. Science    8. Vehicles   

Features

• Interactive talking handheld makes studying fun
• Personalized response on LCD display with graphics and sounds
• 1,000 questions, 2 game modes and 40,000-word dictionary
• Scheduler/calendar, address book and calculator

Reviews (95)

Awesome
This is good for study time/study hall because if you have a big test, this would be very helpful

Good for both studying and cheating
I love the iquest!!! The only thing is a girl in my class brought hers to school than she would use the calculater to cheat. It's a nice toy but don't let your child cheat with it!

the best fun learning product ever
This product is the best, I have gotten so much smarter and have done so much better in school it is unbeliveable if you haven't bought this product yet you should!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Math    3. Reading    4. Science    5. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    6. Electronic    7. Alphabet    8. Counting    9. Activity    10. Electronic Learning Aids   

Reviews (14)

Kid-approved "sneaky education"
This puzzle is my 2 1/2 year old son's absolute favorite.He does it on his own, and is starting to know the state names.He will do it over and over and over again, and thinks it's great fun.I think it's a great way to help him learn!It's kind of nice when a learning tool has to be pried out of my child's hands....

If I had one complaint, it would be that Alaska is on the bottom left corner of the puzzle; it would have been nice if they'd made the puzzle larger so they could stick Alaska in roughly the right place.Not a big deal, though.

A GREAT educational toy!
My 3 year old son spotted this puzzle while we went browsing in the store.He wanted it SO badly even though it was rated for older children.Within 3 days of playing with this puzzle, he quickly mastered all 50 states, knew exactly where they all go at a moment's notice.Then in a few days, he is able to clearly identify and pronounce each state accurately.He can read a little bit, and I had to show him North and South so he could place the Dakotas in their places.We had moved to Arizona from California a few months earlier, so he understood that his "small house" was in CA and that we now live in AZ.Two weeks after playing this puzzle, we went to California to visit our old friends and favorite places.Upon returning home, he demonstrated he really understood the map even more and even knows Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean and several cities. Because he has 2 other USA maps, he has said several times that "Michigan is a mistake!They forgot to cut out Upper Peninsula (Upper Michigann)"!!!!I was originally from Michigan and know that Michigan has 2 parts.What I'd like to see in this puzzle is 50 individual pieces, even though they may be small and that their cutouts reflect more accurate shapes (maybe make the states a bit bigger!).My parents still have the wooden puzzle from late 1960's with all 50 pieces.Now, where can I find wooden maps of other places:Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia, showing pictures of the countries, along with capital cities and other information?My son is already learning a few countries in Europe and is so eager and so ready to absorb more information in geography!We play the USA map puzzle practically every evening before he goes to bed!He's already map-literate far ahead of his peers and even amazed his summer camp teacher!Who says a 3 year old can't learn geography?!;-)

A good start
I would have liked more information to be included on the puzzle.Each piece is cut out in the shape of the state and has the state capital printed underneath.I think they could have taken this a step further adding key information about that state such as it's nickname, state flower or other educational information.It is a good way to get very young children to learn their state capitals and the shape and geography of the U.S. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Puzzles    2. Learning    3. Geography    4. Preschool    5. Jigsaw Puzzles    6. Easy Puzzles    7. Wood    8. Pegged    9. Activity    10. 100-999 Pieces